1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This study examines the testimonies of new parents concerning their experiences of first-time parenthood and the perceived repercussions.» (p. 1951)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The participants comprised 23 couples who were interviewed […] in Montreal (Canada). [Among them,] 19 identified as heterosexual and 4 as same-sex couples, either lesbian or queer. Of the 46 new parents, 23 mothers had borne the child and 4 mothers and 19 fathers had not. The participants are representative of Montreal’s diverse cultural population: 31 were French Canadian (majority Caucasian), 4 were French Canadian but of a visible minority (First Nations, Black, and Latino), 5 were French (European, majority Causcasian), 1 was African, and 2 were Latin American. Average duration of the couple relationship was 6.5 years, ranging from 2 to 14 years. Participants’ age varied from 27 to 49 years, for an average of 31.9 years.» (p. 1940)

Instruments :
- Guide d’entretien semi-directif
- Guide d’entretien de groupe

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«The results reveal that they encountered numerous challenges, both as individuals and couples. The main contribution of this article is the demonstration […] of the many similarities between the two partners in the challenges they encountered, while not forgetting certain gender-related differences and differences related to the type of family and the fact of having borne the child or not. Thus, both parents found it rather challenging to combine and balance their different roles and identities (parent, self, partner). During the transition to parenthood (TtoP), individuals and couples alike downplayed their other needs and prioritized their new parenting role, from both an organizational (daily management) and a psychological (mental workload) standpoint. The TtoP involved considerable selflessness, which in turn induced feelings of loss of individuality. As demonstrated elsewhere […], when the parenting role becomes the priority, individual needs are overshadowed by those of the child. Our results highlight how difficult it is for new parents to carve out some “me time” for themselves when the daily routine revolves around the baby and the baby’s needs, in line with other […]. Moreover, many participants pointed out that they remained highly aware of the baby’s needs even when they were doing activities on their own.» (p. 1951)